My Ultimate Hero Academia
by Katie Lary
Summary: This unpretentious fan fiction is a speculation on what would have happened if Izuku Midoria had never had One For All.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Hey! Hey!"

Izuku managed to half-open his eyes. Someone was slapping him on the cheeks trying to bring him round. The boy gave a faint cough and made an attempt to move.

"You are alive, thanks God!" His savior thundered in a deep low voice.

Izuku completely recovered himself. After looking attentively at the man who was leaning, caringly, over him, he yelled and sprung back.

"You are a jumpy one", the tall hunk stated. His hair was yellowish blond with two quite long strands, sticking upwards just above his forehead in a most ridiculous manner. "My apologies, I ran out of breath and…"

Izuku could hardly hear what the man was saying. He was trembling, overwhelmed with admiration, awe, delirious happiness, and shock.

"All Might! In the flesh… right in front of me". And with a thought like that Izuku's mind burst all out into a spree of joy. "This is nothing like watching him recorded".

"Thanks, with your assistance I was able to apprehend him". All Might thrust a beverage-labeled plastic bottle, filled with some kind of a dirty green sludge, under Izuku's nose and turned away, ready to leave.

"W-wait! Aut-tograph!" Izuku cried, instantly coming to his senses, and started to franticly look around in search of his notebook. It was lying around, all dusty and covered with burns and damp stains, having been set on fire and thrown out the window by a classmate of Izuku's. He flipped open the notebook and shrieked, unable to extinguish yet another seizure of joy. A large signature of All Might was shining in the center spread.

"Thank you so much, sir!" Springing to his feet, Izuku started taking bows like a psycho. "I'll treasure it as if it was my family heirloom".

All Might's smile got even wider, despite that being physically impossible.

"Well… It is departure time for me. I have a villain to hand over to the authorities. See ya!" He said and turned around.

"Already going?" Izuku sounded out in confusion. "Could you stay a bit longer?"

"We, professionals, must fight not only evil, but time, as well" All Might responded, squatting down. "Keep cheering… for me-e-e!" The last words dashed into the sky along with All Might.

Izuku hesitated just for a moment. He jumped as high as he could but only managed to scratch the bottoms of All Might's shoes rocketing away.

A strong blast of air tossed a handful of sakura petals and sand into Izuku's face. Coughing, he rubbed his sore watery eyes and reared his head. The great hero's silhouette was rapidly getting smaller until it was completely out of sight.


	2. Chapter I A Dream is Only the Beginning

**Chapter I. A Dream is Only the Beginning**

"You've finally met the person you admire so much. He even saved your miserable life. And, on top of all, he autographed your notebook! So, why this long face?" Plunged in his somber thoughts, Izuku reproached himself. "Well, after all, it would be really selfish to delay a great hero. Anyone could be needing help even right now".

The arguments were convincing which, nevertheless, couldn't make him feel better. A reflection of the scrawny boy with a huge backpack and ridiculous red shoes appeared in the dusty cracked window of an abandoned store. As his head was hanging down, Izuku's face was almost impossible to see behind the curly strands of black hair that were staring, haphazardly, in all directions. This was partly the reason why Izuku didn't notice when three guys about his age emerged from around the corner. He brushed elbows with one of them and mumbled an apology. Before he could finish his next step, Izuku felt a strong hit on the chest. Unable to keep feet, he thudded onto the pavement and grazed the skin on his palms, trying to break the fall.

"Deku!" A voice roared that Izuku knew very well. It was Katsuki Bakugo's, the very classmate that set his notebook ablaze. "Get your eyes open and watch where you're going, nerd!"

"S-sorry, K-ka-ch-chan… I didn't want to…" Izuku murmured, shrinking his head and trying to get on his feet. Katsuki disdainfully measured Izuku with his eyes and clicked his tongue with irritation. His disorderly spiky blond hair reflected the explosive personality of its owner. He roughly pushed Izuku on the chest with his foot. The foot slid upwards and left a trail of dirt on Izuku's cheek. Hitting against the ground with the back of his head, Izuku squeezed his eyes and reflexively buried his face in hands.

"You can shove your apologies!" Katsuki growled and, accompanied by the approving whoops of his sidekicks, bent over the shivering kid, stepping onto his stomach. One could see a number of tiny explosions go off between Katsuki's outspread fingers. He stretched his hand close to his victim's face, threatening. Smelling the stench of burning, Izuku quickly faced aside. A small but powerful blast left a hole in the pavement. The sharp splinters cut Izuku's soot-stained cheek. Katsuki's sidekicks guffawed simultaneously but Izuku didn't hear them due to severe ringing in the ears.

"Now I forgive you" Katsuki's voice sounded vaguely, as if underwater. He rose up straight, took his foot off Izuku's belly, and, overstepping his lying classmate, went ahead, like nothing ever happened. His lackeys were quick to follow him.

Finally, Izuku was left, lying on the ground and staring into the sky. He didn't hurry to stand up. That area used to be a hive of activity but all the merchants had to live the place, eventually, owing to frequent attacks of prowlers and thugs. The superheroes could never spare time for those because of their jam-packed schedules. This street was empty most of the time so there had been no sense in waiting for someone to come and save him from Katsuki's bullying.

"You are the one who dreams of becoming a hero" his inner voice woke up, so in the wrong time. "What kind of a hero are you if you always need to be rescued?"

"A shitty hero" said Izuku out loud. His dirty cheek began to swell and the throbbing pain in his graze was growing stronger. "I need to go before I catch an infection". On thinking that, Izuku awkwardly got back on his feet and, without even shaking the dust from his clothes, stumbled towards the station.

Sneaking into the bathroom before his mother could peek out of the kitchen, reacting to the sound of the door opening, Izuku threw his draggled uniform into the laundry basket and looked at himself in the mirror. The left half of his face, stained with soot, bruises and gore, had swelled significantly. Izuku sighed. No wonder the people on the train kept clear of him! Many mistook him for a hooligan. Others chose to act like they didn't see him.

Wincing in pain, Izuku patiently cleaned his wounds. Just a few scrapes, although quite deep in some places. If he's about to cry over something like that, he'd better forget about making a career in the hero business.

"Izuku, dinner is ready" his mom said, knocking at the door to the bathroom. The sound of the water running stopped, and in a couple of minutes Izuku went out, with a towel wrapped over his moist head.

"I'll be right there, need to put something on" Izuku quickly muttered. His mother caught him, nimbly, by the wide sleeve of his bathrobe, pulled him closer and dragged the towel off his head.

"Have you been fighting?" she unclenched her fingers, giving a slight cry at the sight of her son's damaged face.

"I fell over on my way from school" Izuku lied, automatically putting his hand on the cheek. "I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt anymore".

He turned around and almost ran to his room. When he returned, wearing a fresh set of clothes, Inko was laying out medical supplies in the dining room. Without saying a word, she tended to Izuku's cheek. Then she put away the medicine box and after that she finally smiled.

"You have always been clumsy, Izuku. Eat, while it's still warm".

Izuku nodded and moved his plate towards himself. He had no appetite at all, but he was forcing the rice down his throat, not to raise any unnecessary questions from his mother.

"Did you do anything interesting at school today?" Inko broke the silence.

"We were filling up our career guidance forms" Izuku responded, happy to stop that senseless consumption of food. "We had to wright down the names of the institutions we want to apply to".

"So, you haven't changed your mind about applying to UA?" Inko cautiously enquired, putting the soft palm of her hand on Izuku's wrist.

"Why would I alter my decision?" Izuku asked with genuine surprise. "This has been my only dream ever since I was little. If there is any school that brings out real heroes it has to be UA!"

The mother opened her mouth to say something but, seeing fire in her son's eyes, she just sighed. Then she pronounced, mussing up his hair with her free hand, "I'm proud that you are so driven. You'll have to work very hard to enter UA and I, of course, will do anything I can to support you."

"Thank you, mom", Izuku said and added, broodingly, "I'll finish the meal in my room."

Grabbing his plate, Izuku scampered away and Inko heard the door clapping shut.

Izuku put the unfortunate rice on the desk and collapsed into his bed. Before he stated to his mother that he was still going to apply to UA, the whole idea hadn't seemed so realistic. There always had been a feeling that it would happen someday, someday in the distant future. Now he firmly set his mind on entering the hero academia, even without a quirk or special physical abilities. The entrance exams were due in about ten months.

"Only ten months left!" A wave of panic overwhelmed Izuku, making him jump on his feet and start walking fast about the room, muttering a dozen words per second while rubbing, uneasily, on his chin with his index finger. Just ten months – and he hadn't even commenced his preparation! Izuku stopped in front of a small mirror by the door. There he saw an ungainly scrawny boy with messy hair, freckles and a thin, chicken-like neck. The swollen cheek wasn't making him look any better. "I must face the truth – I may pass with flying colors on theory, but the practical exam will aim to check our special physical abilities. And I hardly even have _ordinary_ physical abilities."

"I can only hope for a miracle", Izuku muttered, and, moving away from the mirror, he crabbed into his chair. He accidentally elbowed the keyboard on his desk. The cooler started its steady humming, awakening his computer. His mother had, probably, turned it on while Izuku was at school and left it that way afterwards.

The display rapidly went on and, despite it being not so bright, Izuku got blinded for a moment or two: his eyes had already adapted to the lack of light. After a portion of winking and rubbing his eyes he was able to look at the screen without difficulty. On the home screen, All Might's smile was shining. The shortcuts were arranger without any logic and, yet, strictly around the face of a great hero. The red icon of a new incoming message was blinking in the bottom right corner. Izuku clicked on it, without thinking twice.

"...Dear Mrs. Midoriya, I thank you for putting trust in my training techniques. I also assure you that in just one year your son will change beyond recognition. I have considered your request to spread the cost of my services. I suggest we settle on a six month clearance with a 30% down payment. The payment bill is attached to this letter. Best wishes, trainer Aoki Shuto".

"What is that?" Izuku asked himself in confusion and followed the link. He went to a site. At the top of the page there was a flaunty photo of a man in perfect shape. The picture was followed by a brief story of his success, how he transformed, from a weakling, into a mass of pure muscle. Shifting his gaze onto the bill, Izuku turned pale. He never saw such an amount of money. The very fact that his mother was planning to hire a coach for him, not even knowing his exact designs on UA, moved him deeply. She was really supporting him! She wanted to help him live out his dream!

Izuku darted out of his room. Inko had just finished cleaning up. She was sitting on a small comfy sofa, stitching clothes and watching TV every now and then. Throwing his arms around her neck, Izuku caught his mother by surprise. She gave a spontaneous shriek, dropping her sewing kit on the floor.

"M-mom" Izuku stammered, sobbing and gasping. Inko mentally prepared herself for a downpour of tears. "Mom… thank you… I'll find a part-time job and pay for the training myself! "

Inko kindly passed her hand over Izuku's hair and firmly hugged him.


	3. Chapter II Going Part-time

**Chapter II. Going Part-time**

Izuku ran through the empty corridor for all he was worth. The ring had already rung and he prayed that the teacher was not in the classroom yet. Stopping short before the right room, Izuku nervously exhaled, trying to catch his breath, and slammed the sliding door to the side. The sound of his classmates, talking loudly and laughing, broke into the corridor for a couple of seconds, before he closed the door, entering. Izuku sighed with relief. The classroom was full of noise, which could only mean that the teacher still hadn't come. Katsuki, who was sitting right on his desk, his back to the chalkboard, turned at the sound. He narrowed his eyes and gave a wry smile. Without thinking for a second, Katsuki threw his fist forwards and opened it, aiming at Izuku. The latter reacted in no time and the blast hit his backpack instead. The blow knocked him down, nonetheless.

Some of the students began laughing, some were indifferent to the situation and most didn't seem eager to reprove their "explosive" classmate.

"To your places!" shouted the teacher, who had just entered the room. The students became silent and took their stands. Izuku hastily picked up one of the books that he had dropped and scuttled to his desk.

"The topic of this class…" The teacher turned to the board and started to scrape on it with a chalk. Izuku bent down, hiding behind the student that was sitting in front of him and carefully took out his cell phone. There were a whole lot of vacancy ads, with just about ten suitable for a fourteen-year-old student, though. Katsuki wasn't paying attention to him anymore. He, probably, assumed that he had already exceeded his daily quota on bullying Izuku. Nevertheless, Izuku chose not to take any chances and was the first one to scoot away at the end of school.

Making himself comfortable on a bench in a public garden a couple of blocks away from UA, Izuku took his phone, opened the list of ads that he had selected, and dialed the first contact number.

"This is Nakashima delivery service, hello?" The grim husky voice made Izuku sweat. He swallowed hard and pronounced in a bizarrely high-pitched voice "I… am… the ad… I need a job."

"We don't need girls, sorry…" The voice interrupted him.

"I'm not a girl!" Izuku squealed, blushing, in an instant, and spit his next words out in a machinegun-like manner, as if the time was running out. "I'm-a-middleschool-student-Izuku-Midoriya-I'm-fourteen-looking-for-any-job."

After a lingering pause, the person on the other end grumbled "not interested" and hung up. "OK, let's try again", wiping his wet forehead with the sleeve of his school jacket, Izuku dialed another number from the list.

"My name is Izuku Midoriya. I am looking for a part-time job."

"The position has already been taken."

"Have a…"

"Good evening! I am Izuku Midoriya. Do you still need a laborer?"

"Yes, the job is simple but quite physical. We need strong boys aged sixteen and older."

"Sorry to trouble you."

"I am Izuku Midoriya, fourteen years…"

"Sorry, boy, we don't want any problems, call someone else."

"I am Izuku Midoriya…"

"Who? Minoriya?.."

"It's Midoriya."

"Nidoriya?"

"Izuku Midoriya…"

"Mizuku Ignoria? That's an unusual name you have..."

Izuku clenched his teeth but didn't try to correct any more.

"What is your quirk, Mizuku?"

"But… there was nothing about having a quirk in the ad!" Izuku exclaimed.

"Listen, kiddo. Not having a quirk in these modern days equals not having a leg or an arm. Why would we need a cripple in our laundry?"

The connection was cut once again.

Izuku gave a heavy sigh, trying to ignore the fact that his list of ads was relentlessly getting shorter and dialed one more number. No one was answering the call for quite a time and Izuku had to exercise some patience. On the third try he, finally, broke through to them.

"Hello? This is "Ume", the eating house _…hey, get a move on! You've got five orders more! _How can I help you?"

"Good evening, Um… about the ad…" His interlocutor was obviously on the jump and it made Izuku feel somewhat guilty for encroaching on his time.

"Great! I'm short of hands here. Our address is in the ad _…hold the fryer still, you ham-handed dimwit!_ I'm sure you can find the way without any help."

"Yes, sir!" Izuku replied, in a hurry, and pressed the cancel button, cutting off a major stream of invectives against some poor fellow.

The road to the eating house took about half an hour. Getting off the bus, Izuku looked around. The place appeared to be quite busy because of the many shops, cafeterias, dime stores, and simple food stands. In spite of such a variety of venues, it was not difficult to find "Ume", especially since there was a long queue sprawling out of its take-away serving window. The outdoor area was filled to capacity. "It must be standing room only inside there" Izuku suggested. Pushing his way through the door, he could see for himself. Not every eating house could boast so many customers at such an hour on a working day. He made an attempt to approach the counter and received an elbow jab onto his forehead. The jab was followed by a sequence of vibrant titles to his address for trying to skip the line. Rubbing the place he had been hit on, Izuku went out and found the staff entrance on the other side of the building. Through the open door the smell of food was spreading in the air. He could hear the rumble of dishes and people's shouting. After thinking for a while, Izuku concluded that technically he was already hired. He slowly stepped across the threshold. It was stifling inside. The place, judging by the lockers along the walls, was used as a changing room. Izuku passed on and saw another door. He poked his head into the kitchen. There it was hot. Breathing heavily and sensing his back getting wet, he unfastened the buttons on his school jacket and said, diffidently "Excuse me. I came to work here. My name's…"

"Hah! Perfect!" A thick hand grabbed him by the necktie and, then, dragged him in. Izuku's head became light from the unbearable heat and an infinite number of flavors. The person dragging him was swiftly maneuvering in the narrow openings among the tables and stoves, concurrently evading the cooks, who were darting across the kitchen with sizzling hot frying pans and sharp knives.

They stopped very abruptly. The owner of the hand gave Izuku a push forwards and pronounced. "I am the chief here. Call me Yoshioka-san. This is where you will work today. You are free after ten."

Izuku took a look over an unsightly dishwashing section with huge heaps of dirty foodware. The dishes were all around – in every kitchen sink, on every tabletop, on the floor, on the window sill, and even at the door. He turned around and saw a short (almost three inches shorter than him) and corpulent man with a red face. The man was wearing an apron and a chef's hat. His grey mustache was so huge, that one couldn't see his upper lip. Giving Izuku a thumbs-up, the chief changed face and vanished into the vapor that the kitchen was full of.

Izuku searched the place for some kind of an apron but only found a holed kitchen towel. Once his jacket was taken off and his sleeves rolled up, he wrapped that rag around his trunk and got started.


	4. Chapter III Another task

**Chapter III. Another task**

Impatiently stamping his foot and biting on one of his fingers, Izuku couldn't take his eyes off a big clock just above the chalkboard. The time was moving especially slowly that day. The minute hand seemed to have stuck. The teacher was writing something on the board. The students, meanwhile, were openly screwing around: some were lost in their smartphones, others were throwing paper balls at each other. There were even some bold enough to brazenly nap, lightly snoring, with their faces buried in lecture notes.

As soon as the long-awaited ring went off, Izuku scooped his belongings off the desk and streaked away, shoving them, on the run, into his backpack.

"Hey…" His teacher called to him, sluggishly, when the rest of the class galloped past. "Never mind" The man just threw in the towel, took his things without any haste, and left the classroom as well.

Izuku jumped into the buss at the last instant, when it was already pulling off. Yoshioka-san had told him to come by four that day. Unfortunately, one of the history lectures had been shifted from Thursday and appointed as an extra class.

It was three fifty. Late on his second day! Izuku paid the fee and stuck his face into the window, struggling to take his mind away from worries, to no effect. He didn't even notice when he started mumbling things. The two young boys sitting right behind him frowned, giving him a distrustful look, and moved to the rear.

"Can you run fast?" Yoshioka-san appeared at the door so suddenly that Izuku didn't have any time to slow down and bumped into him with all speed. While the boss did only scratch his belly a little, the boy bounced back and fell flat, losing balance. "Why is this happening to me?" He thought, sadly, while getting onto his feet. Now he had a sore tailbone in addition to his scarred cheek and a knob on his forehead.

"Let's go" said Yoshioka-san, completely overlooking him being almost twenty minutes late. Izuku obediently followed his boss into the already known kitchen, meanwhile taking out the white apron fashioned yesterday night by his mother.

"You won't be needing this today" Yoshioka-san declared, turning, and stopped by a long table of metal with a row of big black box-like bags on it. "You'll be delivering orders today"

Izuku bit his lip. Actually, he could run pretty fast for a wimp that he was. He was counted among the fastest runners in the class, after Katsuki and a couple of other guys. But how could he possibly be running all over the city till the late evening?!

"He could at least have told me to bring a bicycle to work!" The boy resented.

"Yesterday you whisked away without even taking your payoff" Yoshioka stretched out an envelope in his hand, ignoring the boy's indignation. Izuku was frustrated to such an extent that he even forgot to look what was inside. He simply put it in his backpack. In the meantime, mister Yoshioka started on the instructions.

"In short, we usually receive about a hundred orders per hour. Of course, the time of delivery depends on the client's location and status in our database. A VIP client receives what he has ordered within thirty minutes regardless of location."

Izuku's eyes opened wide and a trickle of sweat ran down from his temple. For an instant, he imagined how he would run to another prefecture with a parcel, arriving at the sixtieth second of the thirtieth minute and then dying right at the client's threshold. Then the door would open, revealing Katsuky, who would unpack the parcel, extracting a bowl of steamy ramen, and throw the money, crumpled into a ball, down onto Izuku's lifeless body with a fit of most evil laughter…

"Hey, wake up!" Yoshioka waved his hand in front of Izuku's face, bringing him to his senses. "Relax. You will have to deliver only the closes and non-urgent orders. You should have seen your face! You looked like I was going to send you to the United States" Yoshioka-san tapped him on the shoulder, reassuringly. Turning to the table behind him, he took one of the bags and gave it to the boy. Izuku grabbed the straps, but the bag plummeted down as soon as the chief let go of it. Trying not to grunt too loud, Izuku, using his both hands, lifted the bag up to his ankles.

"You'll find the address list and some change money in the side pocket. The orders are stacked in accordance to the list" his boss continued. "Gosh! I almost forgot…"

Dragging from under the table an old and dusty payment terminal, Yoshioka hung it on to Izuku's neck and added "I think three hours should be enough for these orders. I'm counting on you!"

Izuku bowed with ill grace and toiled his way to the exit. In the changing room he swung his backpack to the front and put the delivery bag on a bench. He went through the side pockets and, indeed, found a sheet of paper with addresses on it. Glancing over the list, Izuku folded the sheet in four and slid it into his pocket. After that he lumbered himself with the bag and set off.

The first client from the list happened to live not so far. Had it not been for the cargo, it would have taken Izuku only twenty minutes to get there. All his attempts to run carrying that bulky bag failed. Soon he would get jaded and slow down back to a walk.

Izuku stopped in front of a fence door and pushed the ring button.

"Who's there?" The worn speaker gave off with a hissing sound.

"This is Ume deliveries. Your order, sir" Izuku replied, gasping. He let the bag down onto the pediment and hunkered, his hands on his lap, trying to regain his breath. Then he slowly stretched up, loosening the stiff muscles on his back, and, finally, opened the bag.

The box labeled as "one" was lying at the top. Quickly taking it out, he zipped the bag up again, so that the rest of the orders wouldn't cool off. The fence door squeaked and an unshaven man with a harried look came out. His face bore clear signs of insomnia. He toiled out some chump change from a pocket in his baggy track bottoms and snatched the box from Izuku's hands. Throwing the money, the client slammed the door. Izuku managed to catch most of the coins mid-air but a few fell to the ground, clinking, and rolled away. Two coins sank through the lattice of a sewer hatch before he was able to react. With a moan, Izuku counted the remaining coins, made up for the shortage from his own wallet and deposited the payment into the inside pocket of his jacket. Crossing out the first address in the list, he humped the damned bag once again and trotted off to see another client.

As the sun was approaching the horizon, the air was getting cooler and the bag – lighter. He had just two or three more orders to deliver. However, the time was short. That is why Izuku kept running on his last legs. Receiving money, he just nodded and hurried to the next location.

The last two boxes were bouncing at the bag's bottom. All messy and soaked in sweat, Izuku darted down the street. His lungs were about to explode. Halting in front of the right house, he bumped his head on the door phone and collapsed on his knees.

"Who's there?" A female voice inquired.

"This is… Ume de… livery" Izuku grunted and wheezed, unable to catch his breath.

A young woman, about twenty five years old, appeared. She gave the sweaty and red-faced delivery boy a reproachful look and stretched her hand. With great effort, Izuku got to his feet and produced the required box out of the bag. The woman took and slightly opened it with disgust.

"It's cold" She complained, making a wry face, and shoved the box under her arm. "In any case, I have been waiting for three hours and a half. Where on Earth have you been?"

"Wait!" Izuku called to the woman, who obviously intended to go back. "The money…"

She just sniffed, contemptuously, and hid behind the gate.

Izuku clenched his teeth, counted to ten to cool his nerves and dashed to see the last client.

This time it was neither a private residence, nor an office, where he came to. Checking the list one more time, he ascertained that he had come to the right place. He was at a construction plant and the workers were coming and going, in compliance with their foreman's loud instructions.

"Excuse me…" Izuku addressed to a worker who was passing by, carrying a building panel.

"What else?!" The latter grumbled, stopping.

"Which one of you here is Kawamura-san? I work at an eating house, have brought him his order."

"Follow my lead", the builder waved his hand, placed the panel onto his shoulder and marched, steadily, across the site. Izuku quickly strung along, carefully watching his step.

Kawamura-san was a sinewy six-feet-tall giant. Methodically, he was taking metallic panels from a stack and, assembling them together, he was forming a mold for the future partition wall. Most of the builders were working in pairs but Kawamura-san was perfectly fine all by himself despite the fact that he looked much older than almost anyone there. His grey hair was sticking out from under the safety helmet and there were many wrinkles on his face. Seeing two people approaching him, Kawamura added another panel to the formation.

"Kawamura-san, there's a parcel for you" The builder reported and commented, before leaving "It's later than usual today, the shift is ending in just five minutes."

Izuku took the last box out of the bag and, holding it, stretched his hands towards the client in an offering gesture, his head hanging low.

"I'm sorry. Today is my first time" He fumbled. "Your pizza must be cold by now. If you decide not to pay…"

"What are you talking about?" Kawamura-san responded energetically, and Izuku felt his hands empty. "You could not have come at a better time. I was going to eat after work, anyway. I even like it this way. Sometimes, they would come too early. You never know what might happen to the food in such a case. Once, I remember, some dogs dragged it away…"

Izuku raised his head – mister Kawamura smiled, turning over the money. Izuku took the coins and, slinging the empty bag over his shoulder, was going to leave. At that very moment the foreman announced the end of working time and thanked everyone for their effort.

"Hey, kid" Kawamura addressed to Izuku. "I'm going to have a bite and I know just a place nearby. Wanna join me?"

"I need to go back to the eating house. I'm already one hour behind schedule" Izuku refused, although his stomach started to rumble. "Next time I should at least take a sandwich with me" Izuku thought, slowly backing off.

"I can tell that you should have some food just by looking at you. What kind of a person would pay no attention to a hungry child? Let's go." Having removed his safety helmet, Kawamura gave Izuku a pat on the back. Then he wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve and swayed his hand, pointing the direction.

After walking for a while, they saw a river. Kawamura went down the low angle slope, up to the very bank of the river. Having spread his jacket over the grass, he began to lay out his supplies. Izuku hesitated for a while, shifting from one foot to another, and followed the man. He heard a click and a sound of effervescence, when Kawamura-san unstopped a can of beer.

"Can't offer you _this_,sorry..." The man shrugged his shoulders and took a gulp. "I've got some water with me, if you want. Oh, and grab the pizza – it's all my treat, in case you're still wondering"

Izuku devoured the first piece without even getting its taste, so hungry he was. He drank some water and his stomach gradually calmed down. Izuku proceeded with the second piece, restraining himself and pushing the box away, so that he wouldn't annihilate the pizza on his own.

Seeing that, Kawamura broke into laughter and choked on his beer.

"Relax, lad. Eat, if you want to" He said, wiping beer off his chin. I've got a son, you know, a bit younger than you. Nothing cheers you up more than seeing happy children. What's your name, by the way?"

Izuku was going to answer when his phone suddenly rang.

"Where the heck are you, brat?! I need your ass here in fifteen minutes!" Yoshioka's shouting was so loud, that Izuku had to outstretch the hand with the phone in fear of deafening.

Without a word, Izuku put the phone in his pocket and extracted the pack with the day's takings. Having counted the money, he wrote down the missing sum in the corner of the same worn paper sheet with the address list and reached for his wallet. He raked out every coin that he could find inside it and raised a sigh – that was not enough. "My yesterday's wage", a sudden thought crossed his mind. He removed the envelope from his backpack and… froze.

"What is the matter?" mister Kawamura asked with compassion. Izuku completely forgot about the latter, therefore he shuddered at his words and dropped the envelope. A card with a set of tiny dragon-printed stickers slid out of it. Izuku picked the accursed envelope and shook it, madly, in the hope that something else would fall out.

"Oh man!" Izuku bit his lip. He got up, slowly, and hid the pack with the takings in his jacket. Shell-shocked, he dropped his empty wallet into the backpack which he, then, threw onto his shoulder and grabbed the empty bag with his free hang.

Kawamura-san frowned, watching the kid climb back up the slope.

"Ume, huh?.."


	5. Chapter IV Explosion

**Chapter IV. Explosion**

At first, Yoshioka yelled at Izuku for his lack of responsibility. Then he apologized for the envelope incident, putting the blame on the staff. After that the chief was counting and deducting for quite some time and, as a result, Izuku didn't have to recompense for the shortfall. Nor he received any wages. Midoriya was going to ask for some money to at least pay his passenger fare, but Yoshioka slammed the door before him, saying "Tomorrow by four."

On the following day Izuku overslept again. Previously, he had to get back home by foot, so he returned after one in the morning.

He rinsed his face and quickly changed. Next he grabbed his backpack and took off like a shot from a gun, without even having breakfast. The marathon from the day before was taking its tall – Izuku's body and limbs were aching, badly. Worse luck, he couldn't allow himself to be late, as they were going to have a test at their first class. Making a push, he accelerated.

"This has become a tradition" He thought, jumping into the carriage at the very last second and hanging onto a hand rail. When his breath was finally recovered, he took out his notes on English. He would usually read the news on his pocket screen, but this time he was hoping to mug up as much as possible on his way to school, since he was totally unprepared. Perhaps, it was because his mind was so concerned that he was still oblivious to the big news.

It was only at the main recess that he heard his classmates discuss something with excitement. The word Ume touched his ears. Izuku took his phone, aiming to sort out the latest events in town among the news, but there was no need in that. The headline that was coming first said **"NEW BLAST DOWNTOWN. AN ACCIDENT? GANG WAR? OR VILLAINS AGAIN?" **Those words were accompanied by a photo of a ruined building. The signboard wasn't completely destroyed. One could clearly see the syllable _ME_ on it. The rest was, probably, shattered and buried under the debris.

"…_the explosion occurred at around 3:00 in the morning. The only person in the building at the time was the owner of the establishment, Mr. Yoshioka. Luckily, the man had been evacuated before the building collapsed. None of the neighboring buildings sustained serious damage. For the last six months there has been a rapid increase in Ume's revenue, so the operational assumption is the explosion was set up and carried out by business rivals. Forensic experts have been working at the scene since early in the morning, clearing out all suspicions, including an attack of villains. Preliminary information indicates gas leakage as the most probable cause…"_

Subconsciously, Izuku covered his mouth with his hand. He could not believe his eyes. In view of frequent villain attacks, destruction was inevitable. The citizens had even gotten used to it, in a sense. The damage was usually caused by villains and heroes alike. Buildings, vehicles and even people would suffer every now and then. Apparently, someone had it in for Mr. Yoshioka, which wasn´t so surprising, given his personality, but what they did to him was an overkill. Perhaps, the whole incident could have been prevented if any hero had been nearby at the moment. Although the number of heroes was growing by the day, the same pattern was observed with villains. Actually, the heroes were outnumbered. Thanks to the heroes like All Might crime had been significantly reduced, but not eradicated, and the accident (or, rather, incident) served as direct evidence that they couldn't save everyone.

After school Midoriya hurtled to the bus stop. The bus he was waiting for arrived in two minutes. Izuku slowly made his way into the empty passenger compartment, brushing his backpack against the side of every seat. The bus rumbled, ready to take off.

"Wa-a-a-i-i-it!" The deafening scream from outside made the bus driver bob up and down in his chair. Out of surprise, he let up the clutch pedal and the engine went silent. Scared to death, Izuku dropped down to the floor and wound himself into a ball beneath the seats in the rear. Three got on. Izuku didn't have to see them to figure out who they were. Katsuki's unkindly voice and sinister footfall he would have recognized among a thousand others'.

"I hope he hasn't seen me" Izuku felt his back sweat, his eyes wide open from fear. He was expecting Katsuki to loom over him any moment. The three settled themselves in one of the front rows, however. Izuku lied completely still and tried not to breathe. Although they weren´t supposed to hear anything because of the engine noise, Izuku preferred not to take any chances. Fifteen minutes passed without the bus making a stop. Midoriya's neck was getting stiff, the itching on his left ankle was insufferable, and the dust from the floor was causing terrible irritation in his nose. The bus abruptly pulled over at a stoplight. Izuku gave a muffled sneeze, bumped his head on the floor, and froze in desperation.

Katsuki looked behind, scanning the compartment, then shivered and changed face. "Geez! Empty buses are creepy… They feel like someone is watching you."

Izuku stopped breathing completely, tapping his bleeding nose with his hands, to prevent another accidental sneeze. They went past the intersection and made the first stop for the time.

An old biddy tried to get inside, leaning on her cane that she was scuffing against the step plate. The bottom of the cane kept slipping off but the old lady, though puffing, had no intention to give up. Katsuki snorted and rolled his eyes, impatiently.

"He-e-ey!" He, finally, roared, and the granny, who had almost got in, staggered back and dropped the cane. "Stop stalling everyone, you old hag!"

The granny grabbed onto the railing with her shaking hand, trying to reach the cane. Katsuki clenched his teeth and stood up, intending to deliver, at last, some help to the elderly woman, when a blurred spot streaked in front of him. Bakugo narrowed his eyes – shaggy hair, ridiculous backpack…

"Deku-u-u!" He roared again, looking daggers at Izuku, who was helping the old lady to get inside the bus. The door closed with a sound and the bus moved on. Seeing the granny to one of the window seats in the front, he sat close by, trying not to make eye contact with Katsuki. Separated from Bakugo just by a gap between two double rows of seats, Izuku knew, somehow, that he was safe at the moment, although mister fiery-temper-spiky-hair was boring a hole in him with his bloodshot eyes for the rest of the way.

Jumping off the bus as soon as the doors opened, Izuku tore to the eating house, hoping to vanish into the crowd of idlers. Predictably, Katsuki was pursuing him. The area around the ruins was still roped off. The number of bystanders and press corps had already lessened. It was enough, however, to feel safe. There was no threat of Bakugo attack with so many witnesses around. He had to keep his reputation clean if he was going to become a hero.

Making his way up to the police line, Izuku found his bearings. A couple of heroes were specially invited to clear path for the forensic and investigative team among the wreckage. Yoshioka was paying closest attention to all of them, practically leaning on the tapes. He was relatively unharmed, except for his bandaged arm on a sling and a few scars on his face. Every time the heroes pulled aside another piece of wreckage, he was asking in a plaintive voice "Have you found the safe yet?" They ignored him, stoically. Most likely, he was already making them sick.

Izuku had no desire to meet with his boss, so he trudged along the tapes in the opposite direction.

"Hey, kid!" Someone called him in a voice that felt familiar. Izuku started looking about.

"I'm over here" A hand rose above the crowd, and, after a moment, a man came forward. It was Kawamura-san. Without his working clothes, wearing a dark blue short sleeved turtleneck and casual pants, he looked different, but Izuku recognized him.

"So, you are here as well" Kawamura shot a glance at the ruins, anxiously. "Good thing no one was badly hurt. It's a pity, though. I actually liked their food."

"Yeah…" Midoriya uttered. "And now I've lost my job."

"I thought yours was one hell of an employer." Kawamura frowned, expressing doubt. "That might be a sign from heaven for you to find a better job."

"I would gladly…" Izuku drew a deep breath, "but Yoshioka was the only one who agreed to take me on. If I don't make enough money, I won't be able to pay for my trainer's services. And without the training, I won't, probably, win admission to high school."

"Are you planning to become a sportsman?" Kawamura raised his eyebrows, in surprise, and, without waiting for Izuku's response, he put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I approve!"

"And what business brings you here, Mr. Kawamura?" asked Izuku, who couldn't think of anything better. "Shouldn't you be at work right now?"

"I have a flexible schedule, and it's not my shift today. And, well… since I have already mentioned sport… I give classes in martial arts for children on my off-duty days. I disengaged a couple of hours ago and when I heard the news my feet brought me here." Kawamura-san slowly took his eyes off the ruins.

"You are… a trainer?" Izuku faltered. He missed every word after _martial arts_.

"Yeah, kind of…" Mr. Kawamura smiled and scraped the back of his head in a shy manner. His sleeve creased, exposing a fragment of a tattoo on his brawny arm. "While we are at it…" The man tapped on his pockets until he detected a deck of business cards, clinched together with a thin rubber band. Then he pulled out one of the cards and offered it to Izuku.

"I like you, kid. I will be honest. You won't become a Goku from Dragon Ball after a few months of training, but there are some things that I can teach you. At least, they will help you to meet any sport school's admittance requirements. Call me when you've made up your mind."

"With all due respect, Kawamura-san", Izuku started, trifling with the card. "I don't know you well enough and I have never heard of your school. Besides, I don't have any money to pay you. Thank you for the offer…"

"It's all right, son." Mr. Kawamura wasn't confused in the least. "I'll be at the dojo tomorrow starting from 9 am. Come and have a look. You're free tomorrow, aren't you? And, of course, you are welcome to bring your parents along."

Izuku nodded and turned his head, seeing movement in the crowd out of the corner of his eye. It looked like the forensic team had found something interesting, drawing attention, as the reporters and onlookers were all concentrating in one place. The police could barely hold them off. Some of the greasiest paparazzi managed to sneak through, barraging everything they could lay their eyes on with multiple flashes from their photo cameras.

"If you don't immediately leave the restricted area, we'll have no other choice but to use force!" An officer's voice resounded, amplified by a megaphone.

Izuku turned his face back to Kawamura. He was going to say goodbye and then go and check out what was going on. But Kawamura was gone. He vanished, somehow, quickly and silently, disappeared into thin air. Izuku looked around in an attempt to spot the man's tall figure, and failed. He did, however, manage to lock eyes with Katsuki, who was standing nearby, looking straight at him. Now that everyone's attention was drawn towards the scene of the accident, Izuku felt much less confident. Katsuki rubbed his hands, producing sparks, and began to slowly approach Midoriya.

"W… what do you want with me, Ka-chan?" Izuku cried, moving backwards and looking around in search for a route of escape. Katsuki gave a sinister smile and poor Izuku felt someone grab him on the collar. He completely forgot about Bakugo's sidekicks.

"Let's take a walk together" Katsuki swayed his hand and marched on. Izuku struggled to get free, but they gave him a thick ear and forcedly dragged him forth. After ten minutes of wandering around, Katsuki found a spot covert enough. They gave Izuku a strong push forward and he almost fell. Then Katsuki kicked him in the stomach. Midoriya plumped onto some trash bags. He doubled up with pain and froze, in anticipation of the imminent beating up. Nothing was happening, nonetheless. Izuku cautiously opened one eye and took a timid look at his classmates. Katsuki was brooding above him, burning him with his gaze. He didn't seem eager to use his fists, though.

"Deku…" He grated his teeth. "Your mere existence drives me mad…"

"Nothing new so far", a thought flashed through Izuku's mind.

"If you… if I ever know that you… that you're still going to enter that goddamned academia… you will die! I swear it. This is not a joke." The last words were pronounced in a whisper. "I want to blow you into pieces whenever I see your stupid mug. But I promise to leave you in peace… whatever it takes… if you just get off my way. I want you to understand: this is my very last warning to you. The academia is no place for trash! I am the only one worthy to become a hero! I am the best!" Katsuki's knuckles began to dangerously sparkle. "Say something, you fucking nerd!"

"Ka-chan…" Izuku bleated. A bright blast cut through the air and left an indentation on the wall behind him, showering concrete dust on both of them.

"It will be you next time" Katsuki said through his teeth, clenching his smoking fist. Izuku slowly got up, shaking dust off his disheveled hair.

"You can beat me all you want" Midoriya uttered, his voice shaking. He felt his legs giving way. "Even if you pummel me every day, I won't break. I won't give up on my dream! Yes, I _**am**_ pathetic. I am not as strong or as quick as you are, Ka-chan. But I will become a hero just like you… even without a quirk!"

Bakugo's face skewed beyond recognition. Roaring, he threw his arms ahead and spread his fingers. Izuku squinted with fear. One… two… three. "What's going on? I should have felt it by now." Izuku fully opened his eyes. Katsuki was standing right in front of him, his arms extended sideward. On the walls to the left and right there were huge burnt craters.

"Fucking bastard!" Bakugo shouted and rapidly departed, tailed by his attendants. When he was almost out of the alley, he turned back and barked "I wish you were dead, Deku."


	6. Chapter V The Training

**Chapter V. The Training**

"I'm glad to meet you." The trainer's tall and massive figure appeared out of thin air when Izuku crossed the threshold. "Follow me. I'll show you the training hall. Oh, you are here too, Midoriya-san!" A short and plump woman, Inko, looked timidly from over Izuku's shoulder. "Join us, please."

They treaded in the trainer's footsteps through a dim long corridor, with a changing room on each side (one was ladies' and the other – men's), till they finally ended up in the hall. The room was huge and the mirrors on the walls were making it even bigger visually. The hall was furnished with all kind of modern exercise equipment. Despite it being so early, several kids were already there, training hard.

The whole view was pretty convincing, Aoki Shuto's training hall was justly considered as one of the best. Mr. Aoki's excellent physique was telling much more than any advertisement ever could. Besides, the kids that were lifting bars in the corner didn't seem weak at all. Each of their hands was almost as thick, as Izuku's body. Izuku exhaled and looked at his mother. He had told her at breakfast that he was going to see Kawamura-san. But it turned out that she had already made an appointment with Shuto-san for Izuku's trial lesson. Izuku couldn't think of one reason not to choose Aoki's place so far. Except for the money issue, naturally.

"Midoriya, go change your clothes. Let's not waste our time", Shuto-san commanded and turned to Inko. "Meanwhile, we shall discuss the dietary guidelines."

One hour passed quickly enough. Shuto-san was scrupulously explaining how to warm up and work out correctly, and which set of muscles were working at each exercise. Since he had just to listen most of the time, Izuku didn't even get tired. When their time was up, Shuto-san saw them to the changing room, politely, but insistently. Then they exchanged bows and the man hurried back to the training hall, where more of his students were waiting.

"I was hoping to pay a visit to Mr. Kawamura, too", Izuku said, pulling on a fresh sock. Inco thought for a moment and nodded.

The location of Kawamura-san's dojo was in the outskirts. To get there, they had to take a bus, get off at the final stop, turn onto a path, paved with boulders, and go another twenty minutes by foot. Tufts of grass were sticking up between the boulders here and there. There were no buildings on both sides, just bushes and trees. The place was picturesque and unusually quiet. They heard birds singing in the trees. Somewhere a woodpecker was drumming short bursts. Behind them, fallen leaves rustled. Izuku looked back – a raccoon dog pup had crawled onto the path and now was watching the unexpected visitors with curiosity.

"Izuku, doesn't this place look somewhat… abandoned?" Inko voiced her concern, looking around, uneasily. "What if this place is teeming with wild animals. Bears could be living here."

"There are no bears in our region", Izuku quickly calmed her down, although he wasn't sure himself. Worse, there were claw marks on the trunks of some trees. Izuku gulped down and decided not to determine their origins. Yes, birds and animals had made themselves at home here. But, there was a dojo nearby, after all. The place couldn't be really dangerous since children were allowed to go and train there.

The path was gradually taking to the right. Then it went uphill. The boulders under their feet changed to neatly put flagstones. They were looked after, as was the area around: the bushes and the grass were orderly trimmed and the crowns of the trees were beautifully intertwined, forming some sort of an arch overhead.

Now they could finally see a building standing ahead. It was wooden and very traditional. A wide court in front of it was paved with the same flagstones. Along each side of the court there was a barrier made of short poles and ropes strung between them. Beyond the bounds, both on the left and right, there lied a well-leveled layer of macadam. Closer to the dojo, one could see spherically shaped firethorn bushes. A sloped wooden planking was placed before the entrance to the dojo instead of stairs. On the sides, there were handholds made of oak – so that people wouldn't fall over. Reaching the scaffold, the handholds were turning to opposite direction, thus making a circuit around the whole building.

Izuku went up first. He inspected the makimono scroll just above the doorframe. It was weathered, but one could still read the text of the oath – "Through the pursuit of Kudo, we develop great physical and mental strength, educate ourselves and gain intelligence, and bond with people and enrich our emotions. Therefore, we shall be able to cultivate our personalities and become positively contributing members of society"

"Kudo?" Izuku bit his lip, nervously, touching his chin with two fingers in his typical manner, and started to drone. "Almost all martial arts have been mixed nowadays… simple physical strength is more important… and the quirks… no one has seen an authentic martial artist for about thirty ears… or twenty, at least… that's strange… such a dojo at work these days… there are even students… if my memory serves me right, Kudo is no good for a wimp like me… might end up with all my bones broken…"

Inko followed her son and stopped behind him, hesitating to disrupt his endless and meaningless, the way she saw it, onrush of words.

The door creaked and budged to the side. A short boy in a blue kimono appeared. He looked about eleven years old. The boy took a short inquisitive look at them, snuffled and shot forward. In a moment, he disappeared among the trees that fringed the snaky path.

"Ready?" Inko asked. Izuku nodded and stepped over the threshold. They heard muffled screams and thumps. They took off their shoes and moved, carefully, along the corridor. The sounds were getting louder. Izuku slid one of the doors and poked his head in: it was the training hall, as he suspected. A score of disciples were wallowing on the tatami. Another six kids were thrashing heavy bags by the wall. Amidst all that Kawamura-san was walking an alderman's pace in a white kimono, his hands crossed behind. He shouted at his students from time to time.

Afraid to interfere with the lesson, Izuku sneaked further in and sat on the floor by the door, leaning his back against the wall. Inko settled on her knees beside him, placing her handbag on her lap. They had to wait more than an hour, until Kawamura, finally, adjourned the lesson. Only then he paid attention to the guests, who shook up and eagerly got on their feet.

"Good to see you again, kid!" Kawamura-san greeted Izuku with a clap on the shoulder.

"H-hello!" Izuku clattered his teeth with excitement.

"It is well that you've made this decision. I assume you've come here to enroll, not to have a cup of tea."

"Actually…" Izuku started and stopped. He was going to say "I just wanted to have a look". "Now you've had it, so what?" was the hypothetical answer in his head.

Midoriya didn't know. He was completely perplexed after watching the training. The children had been hitting each other so fiercely, it hurt him just to see them."

"Such a skill would be good for self-protection" Izuku reasoned, "…in case I survive the drill, that is."

"Kid, uhm…" The trainer scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I forgot your name…"

"Izuku Midoriya, sir", the boy responded.

"Well, Midoriya, you can call me Kawamura-sensei if that's OK." They held hands then Kawamura threw a look at his watch. "I'm expecting more students later on, but we have enough time to properly discuss everything."

The teacher took a seiza position right on the tatami and straightened his back. Izuku sat on his knees beside him. Inko followed their example and sat down as well.

"As you may have noticed, I teach a martial art called Kudo. Nowadays, a lot of dojos like mine here have been closed down. Not surprising. Many quirks work as a better substitute for martial arts. No dodges can be effectively used against a shockwave or obliterating touch, even with perfect reflexes. The happy quirk owners don't need to learn complex techniques, they just have to train themselves physically as much as possible to better control their abilities. The whole superhero industry not only benefits heroes, but also a number of concomitant organizations. The sales of hero accessories keep growing by the day. Hero agencies all over the world have sprouted like mushrooms after the summer rains. Many heroes today are even more famous than pop stars. The Mass Media is also rolling in stuff. There's always fresh news and people to interview or to dig up dirt on to create a scandal… Fitness clubs have their own share, because everyone who wants to become a hero must stay in good shape. Even you started to work so as to earn some money to hire a trainer who would prepare you for the entrance exams."

"Yes, but…" Izuku tried to explain, but Kawamura cut him short.

"I am not blaming you. Even if you had known about my school, you would have had no reason to sign in. Your aim is not to study martial arts, but to become physically strong. Therefore, we must finally get to the point. I will help you to upgrade your currently puny physical shape to a level where you can meet even the entrance requirements for the Olympic Reserve Academy. Yesterday I sketched out a special program for you before turning in. It's rather harsh. Ten months is not much time – so you will have to work four times harder than an average student. What I need you to tell me is which institution you want to enter and whether you are ready to train under my command."

Izuku zoned out, processing the newly received information, and it was Inko who broke the silence.

"Mr. Kawamura, how much is the cost of the training? For me, this question is of utmost importance…"

"Hm… I think two hours a day of labor repayment should suffice", answered the man.

"L- labor re-payment?" Izuku asked, bewildered, regaining the ability to talk.

"Exactly, you'll have to act as my servant. You duties will mainly include keeping the dojo clean and going out shopping or otherwise, with the consent from your mother, of course." Kawamura-sensei courteously bowed to Mrs. Midoriya. "You can think of it as a part-time job where you get training instead of money…"

"I agree!" Izuku exclaimed and glanced at his mother. The woman took a deep breath and bowed her agreement. "

"So, which high school are you planning to enter?" the trainer reminded him of the unanswered question.

"U… A…" Izuku mumbled almost inaudibly, blushing. Apparently, Mr. Kawamura didn't like heroes. His reaction could be whatever.

The sensei frowned and his smile left his lips. However, in a few seconds the smile was back on and he said, cheerfully "UA is just as well… So be it! I'll have to make some alterations to your personal training program, but I still think I can make you ready for the qualification. Would you mind telling me your quirk?"

"I… don't have one…" Izuku's face turned crimson with embarrassment. He tucked his head into his shoulders, waiting for acrid questions from Mr. Kawamura like, for example, _"why would a quirkless weakling want to enter UA?"_

"No quirks, no special physical abilities…" Kawamura-sensei mused, staring at Izuku.

"He's gonna refuse", Izuku thought, losing hope. "Any sane person would consider it a folly…"

"Midoriya…" Kawamura-sensei began.

"Now he will tell that it's useless" Midoriya imagined. A drop of sweat streaked down from his temple.

"I'm sorry, but…"

Izuku's heart collapsed on hearing those words. "He is so direct…"

"You have to look at things realistically." Kawamura issued.

"I will have to find the money to pay for Shuto-san's mentorship after all."

"Even with all the amendments that I can make to the program", Mr. Kawamura continued, "…it will still be a very long shot for you. It doesn't mean, though, that you have no chance at all. That will be a huge test of both my competence as a teacher and your determination as a student. We'll have to go over the top and surpass ourselves."

"That means… you're still going to train me?" Izuku looked completely blank.

"Did you just hear what I was saying?" Kawamura rolled his eyes and added, getting on his feet, "This Tuesday I will wait for you after school for your first training session."

"You won't change your mind, will you?" Izuku doubted.

"You try not to change _your_ mind" The teacher smiled sarcastically and left the hall, whistling some kind of a song.

"Get up! You don't have time for lying around!" A bamboo pole slammed down onto the tatami a few inches from Izuku, who had just collapsed from fatigue. The boy sprung up in fear and continued doing push-ups. He had lost count a while ago but he had definitely done no less than four times his school record. His muscles burnt, as he wasn't used to such exertion, and his body was weighing a ton.

"Lower!" Kawamura-sensei roared in his ear. Izuku tossed a haunted squint at his teacher who now looked nothing like a kind-hearted builder from before. Hellish flames were dancing in his eyes, and there was not a hint of mercy. Mr. Kawamura pressed his hand against Izuku's spine and the boy plopped on the tatami again, as his shaking elbows gave way. Making a futile attempt to hoist his body up, Izuku rolled on his back and threw his arms sideward.

"Phew!" The teacher spitted. "You are even weaker than I could ever imagine! Sixty-two push-ups of which a good half were pure slapdash – it's like you have never been doing any sport in your entire life."

"Sensei, you are probably right, but I really can't do any more." Izuku exhaled.

"I think you've rested enough." Mr. Kawamura took Izuku's flabby carcass up, grabbing him by the collar. "Now do squats and jumps."

"How many?" Izuku asked in despair.

"Do them until I tell you to stop." The words of Mr. Kawamura sounded like a sentence. "Start!"

Izuku didn't want to wait till the bamboo pole would whack him on the neck and hurried to do squats.

"Jump higher! My granny could have done it better!"

"_**I'll go bald before these ten months are over…"**_ Izuku thought sadly, jumping on his crooked legs that were getting weaker by the minute.

"One hundred and twelve… what are you, an elementary school pupil? If you don't break a sweat, no one will do it for you…"

"_**Everything is up to me."**_

"Move on! Work your shoulders and back!"

"_**I will do it. I can…"**_

"Two more goes, ten yards each… Don't drop the sack! Start it all anew! Remember it's a time trial. Show a leg!"

"_**I just have to train harder than others."**_

"Every week you'll have to get off the bus one stop earlier and run to the dojo; on your way back home you will get off earlier as well, until you are able to run all the distance on foot. Stop whining! It's just twelve miles or so."

"_**I will withstand any pain." **_

"A decent punch… finally! I was starting to give up on you. Just kidding… Take a deep breath, Midoriya. I wouldn't have spent these whole five months on you in vain."

"_**No matter what…"**_

"One hour and forty-three minutes. You must have taken the bus for a stop or two, you little weasel! Run straight back to the station! I'll take a bicycle and then make sure you aren't cheating. What do you mean _why would I need a bike_? You don't expect me to run, do you?"

"_**I will manage!"**_

* * *

Kawamura-sensei was rubbing the already clean oaken handhold with a dust cloth. He found the filled shopping bag at the door. That meant Izuku had been there in the morning. The entrance exam was about to start and Izuku had to be at the academia at the moment. Leaving the handhold in peace, Mr. Kawamura felt slightly nervous, there also was a contradiction deep in his heart. He truly wished that Izuku would pass the examination after all the hardships that he'd been through. However, he couldn't shake off the thought that it would be better for Midoriya to flunk. The life was going to be hard for such a kind and naïve child among all those smug jerks who considered themselves elite. The word HERO has long ceased to be a synonym for selflessness and devotion. Now people often used it as a mask to cover their vanity, hypocrisy and greed. Kawamura-sensei could not stand all those so-called heroes whose only difference from villains was the obligation to protect the civilians in exchange for money.

Mr. Kawamura checked out his watch – the exam had started two minutes ago and it was time for him to set off to the construction site.


	7. Chapter VI The Admission Test

**Chapter VI. The Admission Test. **

Through the main gates of UA an endless caravan of applicants was moving in. Izuku halted and threw back his head. A huge building of concrete and glass was grandly towering above him. The blue sky with the fluffy snow-white clouds mirrored in the floor-to-ceiling windows. He had really done everything possible to prepare for this day and now he had to give it one hundred and ten percent at the test. He took a gulp, shook his head and pulled the straps of his backpack with resolve.

"Out of my way, Deku!" A voice so familiar blustered from behind.

"K-ka-chan…" Izuku turned back, intimidated. Katsuki was advancing on him, his hands in the pockets, with one of the most acid looks in his arsenal on his face.

"Don't get in my way, dumbass!"Bakugo spitted out, drawing up with him.

"G-good m-morning…" Izuku bleated, instinctively covering his face with his hands.

Katsuki just went past him, without slowing down a bit. Izuku stared after him, staggered.

"Ka-chan stopped bullying me ever since that day" he thought. "I am used to be afraid of him. A lot of things have changed recently. I have to go forward and begin my journey of becoming a hero."

He lost the strength in his legs from the sensation that his life could fundamentally change in the foreseeable future. He made a step ahead, despite his limbs being numb. His feet clutched and the next instant he felt that he was falling. His face was approaching the pavement as if in slow motion. Prepared for the impact, Izuku suddenly realized that he wasn't falling anymore. He was hovering a few inches above the ground.

"Are you okay?" he heard. Someone grabbed him by his backpack and put him upright. Izuku was blinking, dumbly, trying to understand how he had gotten into a zero-gravity state. As soon as his feet touched the ground he regained his weight. He turned his head and saw a cute brown-haired girl of a low stature with a bob haircut. The girl was nicely smiling and talking something, but Izuku could only hear her intermittently.

"I thought… would've been a bad sign if you'd fallen… I'm so nervous, and you?"

"Uhm…" was Izuku's lame response.

"Bye! And good luck!" The girl waved her hand and ran forward.

"Yeah, see ya…" Midoriya replied in his mind, petrified. Then he had a fit of fever: "I just talked to a girl!"

He had never been popular at school. It was the very first time when a girl started a conversation with him. Izuku slapped himself on the cheeks in order to come back to his senses and rushed ahead. He had to focus on the upcoming test.

The huge meeting hall was filled to capacity. A gangling man with a ridiculous hairstyle that looked like a parrot's crest came to the stage. The man resulted to be the host. His leather jacket with straps and studs was rather fit for a rock concert, than for an official event. The host was wearing sunglasses, although there wasn't much light in the hall – a LED screen behind the rostrum was nearly the only illuminant. A pair of headphones and a strange device with speakers that was attached to the chest completed the host's image.

"Welcome to my show!" The host loudly greeted the applicants. "Repeat after me – he-e-ey!"

Thousands of boys and girls stared at him, blankly. A stony silence established among the audience.

"Well, never mind…" The host wasn't confused at all. "Then I'll just brief you quickly on the forthcoming field test. Are you ready?! Yea-a-ah!"

Once again he was answered with absolute silence.

"This is the voice hero, Present Mic." It seemed Izuku was the only one who was impressed by the host. "I listen to him on the radio a lot. Wow! The teachers at UA are real professional heroes!"

"Cut the crap already!" Bakugo, who happened to be sitting beside, rudely stopped his flow of admiration.

"Attention, please!" Present Mic announced. "Your test will be a 10-minute dash through an exact copy of one of the city's districts. You are allowed to take anything you want with you. We are all to meet at the allocated rendezvous point after the introductory part."

On the screen behind Present Mic a diagram popped up with letters from A to G. Izuku took a quick look at his ID-card and saw a big letter B on it.

"So, we won't have the chance to cooperate with friends or former classmates during the test", Katsuki concluded.

"You are right." Izuku squinted at Bakugo's card. "They have appointed you and me to different sectors, too."

"Stop prying, or else…" Katsuki grizzled. "Shit! Now I won't be able to beat you up."

Izuku's eye started twitching as he got all jittery and he cringed away.

"In summary, a number of foes of three different types will be dispersed throughout the area. The higher the level – the more points you will get for a villain." Present Mic's words were immediately visualized on the screen through schematic illustrations. "Your goal is to collect as many points as you can. Any kind of anti-hero behavior like, for example, attacking other contestants, is strictly prohibited. Do you get it?"

"Excuse me, I have a question." A tall black-haired bespectacled boy threw up his hand, who was sitting closer to the boards.

"Hit me!" Present Mic swayed his hand as a mark of permission. The boy stood up, showing his handout, and pronounced "The printout shows not three, but four types of foes. Such a snag is unforgivable for a first class educational and training institution. How could you possibly provide us a seamless preparation course when you are making mistakes like that? And you…" The boy flashed an angry glance at Izuku. "Yes, you, Tufty Hair! If you have come here to chatter then, please, leave. You are distracting everyone."

"I'm sorry" Midoriya cheeped and tried to blend into the bench he was sitting on. Giggles burst out from different sides.

"All right" Present Mic seemed highly determined. "Thanks for the question! Defeating a fourth type villain will bring you no points. They are huge monsters that appear unexpectedly and wreak havoc when they detect a congregation of people. Consider them a major obstacle. Your best option upon encountering one of those is to take evasive action."

"Thank you for your answer. I apologize for my impudent manners." The guy with glasses bowed and took his seat again.

"And that's it, children. The lesson is over. Now out, everyone!" the host announced and the sounds of students' voices and footfall filled the hall.

It was not an exaggeration when Present Mic had told that the training area was going to be an exact copy of a whole district. Izuku was extremely nervous whilst the other contestants looked cool-headed. True to form, they all had their quirks and various gadgets to amplify them. Izuku took a deep breath and caught sight of a familiar silhouette. "This is the girl that saved me from falling over! She has also been assigned to this sector."

"I have to thank her" Izuku decided and headed in her direction, when someone grabbed him on the shoulder and turned around.

"You are not planning anything funny, are you?" the guy with glasses from before asked him in a stern voice. He gave Izuku the creeps.

"No… I…" Midoriya stammered.

"She's trying to focus. What kind of dirty tricks do you have up your sleeve? Tell me!"

Their weird conversation was drawing attention. Izuku heard whispers: "…that dude is acting like a psycho from just being here, at UA… look, he's all trembling… good, we can count him out right from the start – less competition for the rest of us…"

"Everyone's happy I'm going to be their opponent" Izuku thought, sadly.

"Ready… steady… go!" Present Mic's highly amplified voice reverberated around, but no one made a move. "What's the matter?! No one will wait for you in a real fight. Go!"

The crowd rushed forward so quickly that it took Izuku some time to understand that he was standing alone.

"Crap! I'm already behind them all…" Izuku ran after the crowd, resisting his growing panic. "This is no time to give way. The race has just begun. We still don't fully understand what challenges are awaiting us."

A nine-feet-tall combat robot landed right in front of him with a horrible clangor. Izuku hardly managed to dodge the shatters of pavement. After a beep an expressionless voice gave off from inside the robot: "Target locked. Activate destruction mode."

"A robot, God damn it!" A wave of genuine horror overwhelmed Midoriya. How was he supposed to fight a robot with his bare hands? The machine was relentlessly closing in on Izuku, but he stood still, petrified.

"I'm a pathetic coward" A strong feeling of shame pierced through his chest.

The robot was about to hammer Izuku when it was suddenly blown to pieces by a bright blue laser beam. The wreckage showered down to the ground accompanied by terrible clatter.

"Merci beaucoup for your cooperation!" A metrosexual blonde dropped, running past. He was wearing a warm-up suit with a jabot. No less freakish, he also had a belt with a gleaming blue crystal hemisphere over his belly-button. That was, most likely, a special device that helped him control his quirk.

"See you never! Adieu!" the glamorous weirdo complimented Midoriya with a wink and skedaddled.

"Six minutes left!" the thunderous voice of Present Mic reminded.

"This is bad. This is really bad!" Izuku was sweating like a pig. Now he had every reason to panic. The time was running fast and he had no idea as to how to take out at least one robot.

A series of explosions went off nearby. Izuku dashed in that direction. Turning round the corner, he stopped short. An entire battlefield scene came to his view. A group of people, including the bob haircut girl and the bespectacled pain-in-the-ass guy, were crashing robots left and right, competing with one another. Each one of them already had more than thirty points. Izuku admiringly watched the girl use her quirk: another robot lost its weight and got afloat upon her touch. Then she connected her hands at the fingertips and the machine fell down, collapsing from a strong impact. The expression of exhaustion on her face indicated that her quirk came at a price. Despite being tired, she immediately tore to her next target.

Now Izuku could truly comprehend the difference between him and the other competitors who, actually, had quirks. He had gotten much stronger in terms of his physical condition, but to break metal with his hands and feet was clearly out of question. He still had zero points and no hope to get any. Izuku squeezed his fists in a helpless fit of anger at himself.

One of the corner houses crashed down with a frightening sound. A moment later the adjacent building started cracking. All the contestants turned to that side and froze, as if on cue. A huge robot, as high as a twenty-storied building, rose above them, enshrouded in dust clouds.

"Is that… that thing that wreaks havoc?" Izuku asked himself, blankly. As a matter of fact, his was not the only face twisted with fear. The robot delivered one more monstrous blow. That served to everyone as a signal to run for their dear lives. Izuku was knocked down by the shock wave and tried to crawl out of danger. He, finally, managed to get on his feet and for some reason looked behind, instead of running like hell (oddly enough, if there was one thing he was good at, it was running). The dust had almost cleared out and he saw the girl, stuck under the wreckage. She could barely move and was unable to break free. She tried to lift up her head and slumped down, powerless. Concrete dust was shedding from her disarranged brown hair. Midoriya's eyes became wide.

"I thought… it would have been a bad sign if you had fallen down…" the words emerged in his memory that the girl had said when she had saved him from taking a tumble. The silhouette of the robot looming dangerously over the girl reflected in Izuku's pupils. He was already burning the earth towards the formidable machine before he could realize it.

"Faster!" He begged himself. The robot took a swing before another strike. "Almost there…"

Izuku grabbed the girl's limp arm. One more moment – and they'll be smashed.

"Use your quirk!" Izuku screamed at the top of his lungs and put her hand against the wall fragment that she was trapped under. The robot's shadow engulfed them. The girl was drained of all energy and about to go faint. She spent the very last of her strength to activate her quirk and dropped her head. The wreckage became weightless for a split second and then slammed down.

A gigantic fist of metal hit right upon the pile of wreckage. The blow was so powerful that the debris bounced up into the air and a huge cloud of dust spread over the entire street. Those buildings that remained standing lost their last window glass and whatever loose parts there still were. The robot made one more swing and went blank, instantly freezing, with its hand swung upwards.

"Time's up! The test is over!" Present Mic's voice squalled all over the area.

Meanwhile, the dust had settled. Now one could plainly see the consequences of the robot's rampage. Most of the buildings had been significantly damaged, some lied in ruins. The rutted tarmac was all covered with pieces of robots, concrete ceilings, bricks, bollards, guard rails, and the road surfacing itself. A few feet away from the stock-still robot the girl lied, without showing any vital signs. Some of the contestants rushed to help her, but they were outrun by a team of four paramedics from the UA emergency medical service that appeared out of the blue.

"It's all right. She's alive, just unconscious." The medical worker who was examining her showed a thumbs-up sign to the others. "Her leg is hurt, might have a simple fracture. In addition, multiple scratches are present. Recovery Girl will fix her up in no time."

He had barely mentioned that name when a rather short person of unclear age appeared. She _clearly_ looked like a granny, though, due to the furrows that ran all over her face. The word girl was among the least appropriate to describe her, which, however, caused no discomfort to the personnel. Recovery Girl came up to the injured girl and gave her a smacker on the cheek. The scratches started to heal right before everyone's eyes. Two of the first responders put the girl, carefully, on a stretcher and carried her away from sector B.

"We still have to find the boy" said one of the paramedics staying. "We'll have to call the rescuers in if he's under the wreckage."

"I found him. Yes, we're going to need help, I think we can't possibly take him out on our own." The other one responded, leaning over the wreckage at the very feet of the robot.

A bleeding hand in green tatters was sticking out from a pile of heavy debris.


	8. Chapter VII The Result

In the control room semi-darkness ruled. The gleams from a massive monitor on the wall outlined the figures of several people sitting in the first row. They looked at the active windows on the giant screen with much attention. Through those windows, the practical test was being transmitted directly.

"And now the real fun begins…" Somebody's gloved hand pushed a big red button titled "Yaruki".

One of the windows showed two buildings collapse and a colossal robot emerge from a cloud of dust.

"I hope it's not as dangerous as it seems" said one of the people on hand with concern. Another flash of light took out of dark his lean ungainly figure with a shock of disheveled hair.

"It surely is dangerous. That's why not everyone is fit for our institution. A thin voice was heard from an end chair that seemed empty at first sight because the person sitting in it was really short. "We can't but toughen the test every year. The number of quirk owners wanting to build a career in the hero business increases constantly. Unfortunately, just being strong and having good control of your quirk is not enough to become a UA student."

"Principal, you forgot to tell that we can't let fatalities happen during the test" a female voice added from another chair.

"Well, that goes without saying. However, I can't guarantee everyone will make it through the test without a single scratch" the principal's last words contained a subtle hint of malevolence.

"Look! It's the guy that's been acting lost the whole time." Another observer pointed out. The monitor gave a close up of the dark-haired boy running in a green track suit. Notably, he was running in a different direction. The camera shifted a little and the same old nasty robot got into the frame.

"Has he gone mad?" Present Mic yelled, who was among the jury. "I specifically said them to show heels at the sight of one of these in the introductory part."

"There's a girl under wreckage!" the shaggy-haired man exclaimed. "We must immediately deactivate the robot. She will die if she gets one hit from it!"

"Not now", the principal pronounced and the gloved hand froze over the button. "There is more to the test than just destroying robots. "

The robot, surprisingly quick for its size, put a good whack onto a pile of wreckage right after the boy in green grabbed the girl by her arm. The camera lost vision because of the dust in the air.

"End of test!" Present Mic shouted. The gloved hand, finally, pushed on the button. Mic announced the closure of the test through a loud speaker. The dust cleared away. The girl was lying, motionless, on the ground a few feet away from the giant combat robot. A group of first responders were busying at the site. Two of them left very soon, carrying the girl. A moment later the principal's phone rang. The principal heard out the person on the other end and answered "I shall send someone to you at once". After that he hung up and reported "The children are basically all right. Only that boy got somewhat buried under the debris."

The shaggy-haired man rose up from his chair and his body started engorging right in front of everyone's eyes. Two burning blue lights inside his eyeholes flashed in the gloom of the room.

"Please, take your seat back" the principal requested. "Maijima, head off to sector 'B'."

A medium-height man stood up from his chair and moved towards the exit.

"There are other sectors where contestants have also been hurt," the principal continued. "Ishiyama, Thirteen, you go to sectors 'A' and 'G' respectively. You will receive further instructions on site."

Another two persons left the room without demur. The self-enlarging man, a hulk in his muscle form, sank back into his armchair and deflated, like an unstopped airbag. However, his eyes were still burning, eerily, and he was paying close attention to everything that was being shown on the screen. Higari Maijima was not a very tall but rather a sturdy man of forty years. His head was concealed, almost completely, under a large yellow helmet in the shape of a ditching scoop. Maijima got Izuku out from under the debris in quite a short time, leaving the boy to the paramedics, and went on to the next sector.

Midoriya was unconscious. He had been given an incredibly hard time, but he was, certainly, alive. He had escaped the direct hit, jumping aside with the girl in his hands, but he'd been hurt by the shatters raining down on him. He had only managed to push the girl that he'd been trying to save as far away as possible, before he got buried beneath the shambles. If he had received one single punch from the mechanical villain his remains would have fit into a glass tube. Strange as it may seem, Izuku was lucky – in spite of the multiple fractures and a brain concussion, all his vital organs remained basically intact. One of the structural panels had stopped less than an inch above Midoriya, caught by the steel bars that were sticking up and sideward all around. Thus, it had formed some sort of a shield that had been able to withstand the merciless bombardment of the wreckage falling down. Recovery Girl re-performed her proverbial smacker. Having given a handful of jubes to a boy that was still loitering around she inspected the area and asked, just to be sure "Is there anyone injured left?"

She got no response. Everyone was watching Izuku's grave wounds heal, in amazement. The unnaturally wrenched limbs were setting right all by themselves, where once broken bones had pierced his skin, now not even scars were left. He could have died – that was clear. One could envy Izuku for his incredible luck.

"That is Recovery Girl, the youthful heroine. She works as a nurse here, at UA. "A blond guy with a strange hemispheric belt buckle, just over his navel, commented. "Her quirk enhances the process of healing in a patient. That's why the academia allows such dangerous tests. "

"...as expected from UA… "

"…I was wondering, who would permit…"

"…It's no surprise…"

A wave of thrilled whispers went through the crowd. Only the boy with glasses was not on the same page with the others. Without saying a word, he observed them put Izuku onto a stretcher. Recovery Girl left the area, having confirmed that there was no one there with injuries more serious than a couple of bruises.

"That dude sure is weird" the crowd switched to discussing Izuku's behavior. "Seemed to be such a jittery jerk…"

"Did anyone see what kind of quirk he's got?"

"That was so reckless to go up against a combat robot just like that. He could have kicked the bucket, not even Recovery Girl would have remedied the situation then."

"One of the first responders said he would be dead by now if it weren't for his luck. A building panel got stuck right above him, forming a shelter."

The bespectacled guy cringed, overhearing their talk. "How can't you see it?" he was screaming inside. "He saved the girl. Putting aside the test… putting aside his own safety… he rushed forward, without hesitation. If it hadn't been a test, if it had happened in real life, I would have done exactly the same." He gazed into space, as it dawned on him. "What if it was part of the test as well?"

Izuku woke up at the infirmary. He was feeling quite well aside from the slight faintness. His clothes were lying, neatly folded, on a chair by the bed. On the back of the chair his backpack was hanging. Izuku got up, avoiding any abrupt moves. He pulled off his tattered track suit and put on the clothes he had been wearing before the test. Then he shoved the tatters into his backpack. Throwing one of the straps onto his shoulder, he left the infirmary. It was strangely quiet at the academia. Most likely, all the other candidates had already left. Izuku shuffled his way up to the gate and made one step out with a sigh. Then he looked back. He wasn't able to collect any points during the field test. That was probably his last time seeing UA's main building so close. He wished he had known that girl's further fate. He hoped she had been saved from that furious robot, eventually. He did not understand how he had ended up without injuries. But that was UA. It was only natural for them to have many contingency plans in case of an accident. Izuku suspected a hero with a healing quirk. He wasn't sure that he hadn't got any injuries – his track suit was all stained with blood. Yet his body was unscathed, even his bruise from the day before had disappeared by some miracle. All suggested that the girl had been well taken care of, just like he. He wouldn't mind seeing her once more, though, to set his mind at ease. And so, plunged deep into thought, Izuku headed for the station.

It took a huge amount of time to analyze each contestant's actions during the test. All the records were meticulously re-watched. Every doing, every step of a certain candidate was scrutinized. Of almost ten thousand candidates only two hundred and twenty passed, of whom just forty were accepted on to the hero course. Four kids were admitted through official recommendations and the rest were selected almost unanimously, except for one applicant.

"Izuku Midoriya, quirkless" the principal's thin voice came from the headmaster's chair at a U-shaped table. The principal himself was not even a human being, but a critter of some kind. About three feet tall, he looked like a mouse with a dog's paws and a bear-like snout. All of his skin was covered with short and glossy white hair. He had an elegant formal outfit on, which consisted of a shirt, pants and a vest, altogether combined with orange sneakers. His long tail was hanging down from the chair, almost reaching the floor.

"We have a suggestion to turn Midoriya down and to take another person in his stead from those who have already been assigned to other departments" the principal pronounced, surveying the people sitting at the table. The latter turned their heads to a young man with long wavy black hair, all at once. The man looked tired and sleepy, with considerable dark circles under his eyes. He apathetically nodded in response.

"Who's with Aizawa-sensei on the matter?" the principal's tiny black eyes peered at everyone. Present Mic was the first one to throw his hand up. The principal nodded, affirmatively.

"The guy has certainly earned his place in our academia" Present Mic said, addressing mainly to Aizawa. "I think he has what it takes. He showed real heroism during the test. "

"I agree that his acting was heroic" Aizawa-sensei replied. His voice sounded a little muffled because of a long ribbon coiled all over his neck and chin.

"Why shouldn't we accept him, then?" a young black-haired woman enquired, in a rather provocative outfit –she was wearing a topless leotard of black leather over a nude-colored bodysuit.

"Because he won't last here for long, anyways" was Aizawa's short answer. "A quirkless student won't be able to keep up with our training program for the hero course."

"From this year on, quirkless students are allowed to enter UA" Present Mic made a remark.

"I don't mind him entering UA" Aizawa-sensei specified. "He scored high at every knowledge test. I'm sure he'll do just great on any other course."

"The boy resulted eighth from the top at the field test" A square-shaped concrete block came to life that happened to be a human being, "…in spite of the fact that you, Aizawa-sensei, gave him just three points out of ten maximum possible."

"I could have given him zero points." Aizawa scratched his unshaven cheek, musingly. "I paid respect to his selflessness. I still think he was highly inefficient, though…"

"I second that" a gray-haired man uttered. He had a scar on his left cheek and two fangs on his lower jaw that stuck out of the mouth, even when his lips closed. To jump without thinking into a battle against a dangerous enemy was hardly reasonable, indeed. I doubt he was thinking strategically at the moment. On top of that, he ended up badly hurt. We could admit him, making allowance for his lack of experience, but who will take responsibility when he hurts himself during training?"

"When?" The woman in a bodysuit snorted.

"Yes, 'when', not 'if'. And if you disagree, Midnight, you are way too optimistic" the man with fangs was making his point. "We just have to make the kid understand that not only heroes can help people. He could become a police officer, for example."

"So go and work on that, you and Aizawa." Midnight folded her arms on the chest. "There is always a possibility of an accident. Our duty as teachers is not to avoid responsibility but to instruct the students properly so that they won't hurt themselves."

"Seems like we have a conundrum here." Another teacher joined the discussion. He was wearing a mask that looked like a black skull. A suit of dense texture (also black) was seen under his cape, with golden vertical stripes on the neck that ran up to his chin. Below his blank eyes there lied a thin golden line and his chin was rimmed with the same color.

"Anyway, I need to take all your opinions into consideration" the principal said. "I am the one to take a final decision and I will be held responsible for it."

"I vote yes" Midnight pronounced.

"Me too" Present Mic supported. "We can drop him out at any time. I think we should give the kid a fair shot."

"You all know my opinion" Aizawa-sensei grumbled.

"Mine as well" Mister Fangs expressed himself. "No matter what you say, Midnight, the students on the hero course will be our direct liability, not yours. "

"I'd like to see how the boy will manage" Maijima, the teacher who freed Izuku from under the debris, said. "Moreover, he could compensate for the absence of his quirk with the help from our support department".

"I'd prefer him transferred to a safer department" Thirteen stated his opinion, whose costume was a white spacesuit with a big round headpiece of dark tinted glass at the top. "Our absolute priority is the safety of our students. And, as Vlad King has already aptly noted, one can help people by working as a police officer."

"From what I've seen at the test I can tell that, provided with proper training, the boy could make a wonderful hero one day" The concrete-like fellow spoke.

"I abstain" the scull-man announced. "The kid's scores are above minimal passing and we should accept him by rule. On the other hand, we could regret his admission in the long run. He's still a child, after all. As a teacher, I am against it. But, as a considerate person, I would not like to discourage him by rejection. That's why I can't make my final decision."

"I don't see anything tragic in him being transferred to another department" the teacher in a cowboy hat offered a shrug.

A growling sound came from the distant side of the table. The teacher sitting there had the typical body of a human being, while his face was that of a dog, fringed by a lion-like mane of thick fair hair. He was desperately trying to articulate something, but yelping and howling, together with a deep-chested grunting, was everything he was getting in the end. Midnight looked at him, suspiciously, and pulled out a muzzle from somewhere under the table. She gave Vlad King, who happened to sit just beside the dog-headed freak, a questioning glance. Vlad King shook his head in disapproval and addressed to everyone "Inui-sensei says 'no'. He thinks a student that has no instinct for self-preservation does not belong in UA. "

"Let's wait until he's able to talk" Present Mic suggested. "There is no guarantee he said these exact words."

"I have no reason to lie" Vlad King crossed his arms on his chest in a dramatic gesture and Hound Dog gave an affirmative yap.

"Let's sum this up" the principal took charge. "The majority voted against, with one person abstained. It appears that I can already make a conclusion…"

The whole following week was a bit fuzzy for Midoriya. And there still was no answer from UA about the test. Izuku was moving, aimlessly, about the house, emitting strange sounds and having trouble responding, like a zombie. He couldn't give clear answers to his worried-sick mother's questions and his manner to gaze into space was especially eerie. Kawamura-sensei had sent him a message the other day, asking about his entrance exams and why he wasn't visiting the dojo anymore. Izuku hadn't answered that message, although he continued training by himself on a daily basis. Exhausting himself physically, he was able to keep his mind off sorrowful thoughts at night, as he blanked out each time his head touched the pillow.

Thus, the letter from the academia resulted to be as long-awaited by Inko, as it was by her son. On receiving it, she released a long sigh of relief. She didn't care what was inside it. She just couldn't bear watching her son act like an empty shell of a person any longer.

For five minutes or so, Izuku was trying to hypnotize the envelope on the table with his intense stare. Then he suddenly grabbed it and tore it asunder. A tiny projection device dropped onto the table and activated on impact. The room filled with the soft blue light of a holographic screen. A huge silhouette spread all over the frame. The next moment the whole picture moved, turning into a close-up of All Might's physiognomy. Izuku lost powers of speech. _The letter was from UA. What did All Might have to do with it? Why on Earth would All Might send him a message?_

"Could this be some sort of advertisement?" the most incredible theories found their way into Izuku's head. Meanwhile, All Might cleared his throat and asked someone to the side "Am I in the focus? Good." Now he was looking into the camera, saying "Greeting, young Midoriya! You are probably wondering at this moment what I am doing here."

Indeed, Izuku was. He automatically nodded, despite his company being just a record.

"This is not an ad, nor is it a mistake." All Might significantly pointed his index finger up. "I speak to you on behalf of UA. My duty is to inform you of your entrance test results."

Izuku's heart hammered. The palms of his hands and his forehead became covered with sweat in an instant. All the thoughts he had been avoiding during that week crashed down on him.

"You showed pretty good results in your written tests." All Might was speaking in a casual tone, yet his every word caused Izuku's heart to sink. "…at the field test, though, you got zero points for taking down villains…"

Izuku's heart plummeted down and hit the bottom of the chasm called absolute despair. "I failed, there is no doubt…" Midoriya clenched his teeth, his head drooped. "I realize that, but…"

He didn't want to admit he had been hoping for a miracle. That would have made his failure even more painful.

"Darn it!" the words burst out of him. "I'm so pathetic. I don't even have the courage to face the truth."

His fingers were grinding into his knee-caps. The weakened echoes of his physical pain reached his mind through the thick wall of frustration, which his soul was filled to capacity with.

"That's not all" Midoriya was hearing All Might's words as if from very far away. "Look at the screen…"

Izuku raised his head and looked before him. All Might gestured to a big LED screen behind. The camera switched to the picture that was on that screen. It was the face of the girl he had saved. She appeared to be safe and sound, only she seemed very uptight.

"After the field test this girl appealed directly to the jury" All Might said, shoving his face into the frame. "Cutting to the chase, see for yourself…"

The girl was shifting from one foot to the other by a door to the room that looked like a teacher's lounge.

"Uhm… Good afternoon…" she finally found the courage to cross the threshold and quickly bowed. Of all the jury, Present Mic was the only one whom she encountered in the room. The latter turned at her voice and raised his brow, questioningly.

"I'm sorry to trouble you…" The girl was apparently nervous. "Do you, by any chance, know that boy… we were in the same group during the test… he's got shaggy tufty hair, and freckles, and… looks pretty plain?"

"Is she talking about me?" Izuku thought, puzzled.

"Can you, please, transfer some of my points to him? I don't know how many points he did have, but that doesn't matter. Since he had to save me…" the girl guiltily looked down. "…he lost much of his precious time. I beg you to return him all the points that were lost through my fault. That boy… he saved my life!"

"Your actions have already touched hearts of people" the sound of All Might's voice brought bewildered Izuku back to his senses. "And the jury was not just counting how many villains each one of you took down!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie pie, but we cannot divide points between contestants." Present Mic patted the girl on the head and smiled. "I think there won't be need in that, anyways."

Izuku stared at Mic, in perplexity. The girl's reaction on the screen was practically the same.

"Do you seriously believe the hero department would reject a candidate for doing what was right?" Once again, All Might's face occupied the entire screen. "The judges spotted another essential quality of a hero in you! So, take this – your special rescue points, a total 58 of them!"

"Izuku sank into his chair, dumbfounded. Rescue points. They were not mentioned at the presentation.

"Ochako Uraraka, the little lady you are seeing on the screen now, was given forty-five rescue points. For saving you!" All Might sustained a significant pause, thinking, perhaps, that Izuku would need some time to apperceive what he had just heard. And he was right doing so.

The last thing Midoriya remembered was how he'd thrown the girl aside (he wasn't even sure if she'd been conscious back then) and blacked out.

"Young Uraraka managed to redirect one of the building panels so that it would act like a shield and protect you from most of the falling wreckage" All Might continued. "You showed yourselves true heroes thanks to your hand-in-glove work in that critical situation. And… you both pass!"

All Might froze on the screen, shining his smile with a big fat thumbs-up. Now the record came to its end. Izuku, however, made no haste to deactivate the mini-viewer. Unable to restrain his emotions any further, he wrapped his arm around his face and began to shudder.

What just had happened was nothing short of a miracle.


End file.
